Laptops are currently up to 20 percent more expensive, and ink cartridges for printers 30 to 50 percent more expensive.
The strong demand for laptops, printers and printer cartridges continues in the third lockdown. “There are sometimes dramatic delivery bottlenecks, especially for ink-based multifunctional devices, as manufacturers do not give delivery promises for months and almost all devices are out of stock,” says Peter Seiwald, chairman of the machinery and technology trade in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) to the KURIER . “There is also quite a shortage of notebooks, especially for larger displays that are suitable for home office and homeschooling, there are currently nothing from some suppliers, otherwise only remaining stock.”
The price increase for notebooks is currently ten to 20 percent, for ink cartridges 30 to 50 percent. Ink cartridges are often difficult to purchase online. Seiwald does not expect the situation to improve quickly.
“I expect at least six months until the market stabilizes again,” says the dealer. He also points out that multifunctional devices are being delivered by ship and that these are currently largely booked out. There is currently no shortage of cell phones and tablets.
Meanwhile, a tender for the delivery of notebooks and tablets with an order volume of 204.9 million net is currently running on behalf of the Ministry of Education. This tender is broken down into: Windows notebooks (108 million euros), Apple tablets (48 million euros), Windows tablets (36 million euros), Chromebooks (8.4 million euros) and Android tablets (4.5 million euros)
